The Secret Snake
by Litobee
Summary: The war is over, everything is back the way it should be. Fives years on, everyone seemed to have settled back into their lives happily, except for Hermione, she has been working on many things in the last five years, not everything is as it looks.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:-I do not own HP etc**

_This is an idea that came into mind one night, more things will be revealed later on in the story. _

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It was that time of the year again. Christmas was always something she never really looked forward to. Sitting in the window bay with a cup of hot cocoa, Hermione leans back against wall, watching the tiny people bustling in and out of shops getting their last bit of shopping done. She watches as a couple walk pass laughing and the man puts his arm around the woman. Sighing to herself she subconsciously touches her locket. It has been five years since he had gone to Azkaban, in those five years, she had only been able to slip in to see him twice.

"Why aren't you open?" A voice behinds her make her jump

With her wand in her hand, she had jumped in a flash only to see a tall dark haired man smirking at her with his hands in the air

"Blaise...you scared the shit out of me" She sighs lowering her hand

"I'll say...you didn't even hear me apparate in" He chuckles

"Sorry...I was somewhere else" She shakes her head and goes in for a hug

"I'm sorry I haven't been in a while" He replied feeling guilty, kissing the top of her hair before he lets go her.

"It's alright, I understand" She gives him a small smile

"Theo and Pans sends their love" She hears him say as they make their way into the kitchen

"So, any updates?" Hermione asks while making them coffee

"Oh no, not before you tell me why you're not open" Blaise replies, taking a seat at the breakfast bar

"I wasn't feeling well morning, so decided not to open She shrugs, walking over with the cups

"Yeah.. sure" He raises an eyebrow at her

"Oh stop, I'm fine. I just needed a little 'me' time" She snaps, taking a seat opposite him

A ring from Hermione's floo bell made the pair of them jump, Blaise quickly stands up and pulls out his wand, but Hermione stops him as he was about to leave.

"You haven't given me any update yet!" She says lowly

"There isn't much to update, nothing is moving, the next attack is Christmas day, which you already know" He hisses at her, eyeing the doorway

"What about meetings?"She quickly asks him. "I haven't heard of any yet, but I will notify you when there is" He says, he sees her face scrunch up a little, he knew what she was asking about, but for the time being, he had nothing. Sighing out loud, he gives her a kiss on the cheek

"I'll be in touch okay?" He says looking at her, she nods as a reply

"Mione?!" They hear a female voice call out from the floo

"Coming!" Hermione shouts out, giving Blaise a squeeze on his arm before letting go, with a pop he was gone before her eyes.

Straightening herself and putting on a smile, Hermione strolls into the living room with her cup of coffee to find Ginny's head in the fireplace waiting. Clearly not happy that Hermione had not been there sooner.

"Hi Gin, everything okay?" She asks casually sitting down by the floating head in the fireplace

"Don't hi Gin me, why aren't you open today? Are you okay? What took you so long?" The red headed babbles on.

"I'm fine Gin, I just wanted to rest today, that is all. I was in the kitchen making a cup of coffee" Hermione replies to her questions, bringing the cup to her lips to take a sip.

"Hmm..are you sure you are okay? Not like you to close randomly" She asks, not quite believing her

"Just feeling a little under the weather Gin, nothing major" Hermione brushes her off

"You know, Harry mentioned that there is this position opening in the Auror department.."

"I do not want to be a Auror Gin, I told you this already" Hermione sighs, the conversation has came up quite often

"Not an auror position" Ginny rolls her eyes, she watches as Hermione huffs but not replying giving her the chance to explain

"It's just paper work, they need a filing clerk, it's easy work. Since you turned down the position in the legal department because you said you can't be bothered with anything too stressful, this is perfect. It's just filing, and the odd typing job" Ginny says excitedly

"I'm not interested Gin, sorry. I just don't want to work there" Hermione says

"Right.." Gin huffs, once again failing to persuade her friend.

"I'm happy with my bookstore, I like the way things are" She hears Hermione replying

"Sure...are you coming for Christmas this year? Mum's been asking about you. So has Ron.." Ginny asks nonchalantly, slipping her brother into the sentence

"Sorry Gin, I have plans, give them my love" Hermione replied taking another sip of the now luke warm coffee

"What plans? What do you do on your own, every year!" Gin snaps at her

"I visit my parents grave and spend some time with my muggle relatives" Hermione snaps back at her, of course it was only half truth.

"Can't you go another day, you've missed Christmas with us ever since we left school" Ginny whines

"And you mention that every year too, I'm sorry Ginny, I'm not available" Hermione wrinkles her nose

"Fine! Do what you want, not like we are friends or anything" Ginny replies with a huff, then disappears.

Sighing out loud, Ginny was always trying to guilt trip her into doing things, once again, she has to pretend to be sorry later. Standing up she closes her floo, not wanting any more unwanted visitors or calls. Christmas was only a week away, she wanted to get it done but for the first time in years, she was not going to be alone on Christmas day. It wasn't the ideal Christmas, but at least she gets to see a few people she misses, even if it was going to be for a brief moment.

She was tired of the apartment, not wanting to stick around, she quickly changes into something casual, grabs her black cloak and a couple of vials that were in her desk. She heads downstairs to the shop, checking that all her wards were still up, she goes into the back room, putting her cloak on she sniffs it a little and smiles, the cloak had a scent of her love that never fades. It was specially enchanted for her. Putting the hood up she lifts up a cellar door and heads down, closing it slowly behind her.

The cellar was dark and dingy, not much around except some boxes that looked like old books. She moves a few of the boxes aside with her wand, revealing a fireplace that was made of marble, it looked very much out of place. However, this is one fireplace that was not registered, and was specially built to a couple of connections. Grabbing some floo, she heads off to find one person that she knew who would be just as lonely as she was.

Landing in the large dark sitting room, she wonders if anyone was home. Then hearing voices speaking, she quietly tip toes towards the closed door. A small pop makes her jump, looking down she sees a female elf bowing towards her, before the elf could say anything Hermione signalled her to stop. Not wanting to anger the witch, the elf wriggles her hands and shuffles side to side.

Listening to the voices, she could make out two women talking, it sounded like a disagreement of sort, but she was not able to make out the conversation clearly. The voices stopped as she hears footsteps clacking around and the front door slams. Not wanting to make any noise in case there was still people around she turns to the elf who had her head hanging low, still fiddling with her hands.

"Mimsy, go check if there is any other visitors around before you announce me" She ordered the elf

"Yes miss" The elf squeaks and vanishes with a pop

A couple minutes later, the doors swing open, making her eyes squint as bright lights suddenly blind her.

"Hermione" She hears a warm voice of a woman and felt herself get engulfed into a hug

"Hi Cissa" She smiles, as she hugs the woman back

"It's so good to see you" Narcissa smiles, letting go of her

"It's good to see you too" Hermione says undoing her cloak and taking it off, Mimsy the elf was already by her side to take it off her.

"Come, let's go get some tea" Narcissa says linking Hermione, feeling her being hesitant, she smiles at the girl

"Don't worry, I won't be having any more visitors today" She says to Hermione reassuringly

Narcissa leads her to the sun room as tea was prepared by the house elves, the room was enchanted to stay warm giving her a cosy feeling inside. Hermione looks out at the garden that was covered in a neat blanket of snow.

"How are you dear?" Narcissa asks her as the elves pop in with the tray of tea and biscuits

"Oh you know, the same as usual" Hermione replies casually with a smile

"You look thin Hermione, have you not been eating well? I can send an elf over to prepare meals for you" The woman frowns as she scans Hermione properly.

"Oh now, that won't be necessary. I wouldn't be able to keep a house elf anyway, it would be suspicious if people saw. Thank you though, for the kind gesture" Hermione replies

"I guess you are right" Narcissa sighs taking a sip out of her cup

"Have you visited them lately?"Hermione asks taking a sip out of her own cup

"No, unfortunately. They said being this time of year, paper work takes longer to complete for visits" She replied bitterly

"Sure. Like that's believable, it's just a few boxes that need ticking" Hermione replies just as bitterly

"Indeed, however as Weasley is the one that grants permission to see certain prisoners, one does not need to imagine why he's putting it off" Narcissa say with a bite to her tone

"I'm sorry Cissa" Hermione says sympathetically

"Oh, don't be sorry dear, it's not your fault. I should be the one to say sorry..I've at least been able to see them more than you have" Narcissa replies sadly

"I miss him so much.."Hermione says with a lump in her throat, she couldn't help the tears filling her eyes

"I know dear, I know" Narcissa quickly sits next to her and pulls her into a hug, she could hear quiet sobs from the girl and felt a pang of guilt.

"He misses you too. He tells me when I have been able to see them" The woman says stroking Hermione's hair in a motherly way.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Hermione cries into the woman, something that she really needed. Picking herself back up, Hermione sniffles, and wipes her eyes with a tissue that Narcissa had handed her. Thanking the older woman, she composes herself again.

"So, I hear Christmas day is a big day" Narcissa says changing the subject

"Yes, Blaise has told me already, but I don't know any fine details yet" She says sighing

"Honestly, whoever thought of voting Theodore Snr as lead for now is beyond me" The older woman huffs

"Nott Snr isn't so bad...just...a little..clumsy..and.."

"And no co-ordination, awful at planning anything, as lazy as one can get" Narcissa finishes her sentence.

"I'm not disagreeing with you" Hermione says with a giggle, Narcissa smiles as she sees the young woman finally perking a little.

"I brought some more of these for you" Hermione says, pulling out a few bottle of vials, inside was and silver liquid swirls.

"Oh thank you dear, I have been running low lately. His feeding time is coming up, would you like to join me?" She asks pocketing the vials.

"Yes, of course!" Hermione replied instantly.

It wasn't often that she was able to be involved with the feeding, normally she was either already too late, or too early, and she never had the time to stick around. Narcissa calls the elves to clear up the empty cups and links onto Hermione again. Leading her to Lucius's study, they stand in front of a painting, Narcissa carefully taps the painting in in a few different places and stands back. They watch as the painting swings open, and the wall behind it start melting into a shape of a doorway. Stepping in, they made sure that the wall was back in place before heading down the cobble steps, opening a wooden door, Hermione could feel the many wards around it as she walks through.

As soon as the lights come on, she rushes towards the bedside of the frail man. Gently stroking his hair, she could just make out his breathing, it was very weak. She felt Narcissa's hand squeeze her shoulder and turns to see a vial in front of her, gratefully taking it off the older woman, she turns back to the frail man. Gently cupping his face with one hand, she tilts his head back and pours the vial into his mouth, then closing it and lifts his head gently back a little letting the liquid slide down his throat. Satisfied that it was done gently lays his head back down.

"I promise, I will wake you one day father" She whispers to him, kissing his forehead before standing up again.

"He would be proud of you" She hears Narcissa say gently

"No, he wouldn't. I have not found a way to wake him, he would scold me for taking too long" She replied jokingly

"I should get going before anyone wonders, it's getting late" Hermione says as they made their way back up to Lucius's study.

"I will let you know as soon as anything changes" Narcissa replies

"Can you do me a favour on Christmas? I won't have much time spare" Hermione asks putting her cloak back on

"Of course, what is it dear" Narcissa asks

"Would you be able to put flowers down for my mum and dad please, I will be back on Christmas night to check on father" She says

"Of course I will, you take care dear, and good luck" Narcissa says giving her a hug.

Flooing back to the shop, she puts everything back in order and heads back up to her apartment. After showering and putting on her pj's, she decided to get some research done, grabbing some snacks from the kitchen she goes into her study and pulls out some books and notes from her locked cabinet. Getting comfortable in the armchair she opens the book to the pages she had marked and started taking notes.

One way or another, she swore that she would wake her god father, pulling her arm sleeves up, she felt the scar on her left forearm, frowning at the sight, she takes her wand and mutters a spell, slowly the words 'mudblood' start disappearing and black marks showing, revealing the dark mark.

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_I hope this was a little enjoyable at least, I have a lot of back story but they get revealed bit by bit through the story._

_I'm not quite sure if it's something I should carry on, so reviews would be helpful. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: - I do not HP =(**

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It's been two days since Blaise last visited, she was starting to get anxious as Christmas was around the corner. As Hermione descends the stairs, with a cup in one hand and her wand in the other. With her wand, she opens the curtains at the front of the shop, and unlocks the door. Seating herself at the cashier point and setting her cup down, she pulls out a locked box and starts cashing in the float for the day. Drumming her fingers as she ponders on what to do next, she notices an owl flying in towards her, dropping a bunch of letters and the daily prophet. Petting the owl, she gives it a treat from the jar that she kept behind the till and watches as it happily coos and flies off.

Frowning at the letters as there wasn't anything important to her, she opens the daily prophet. Once again, Harry Potter was splashed all over the cover, capturing another death eater, tutting out loud she flips to the article, it seems to be one of the minor death eater, not one that she knew off.

_'Of course he Harry would get all the glory, even though he sits behind the desk more these days' _Hermione snorts to herself.

"That's not very lady like now is it" She hears a female voice from the door way.

Snapping her head up, her face softens as she sees a girl with long black hair smirking at her with her arms folded. Suddenly aware of her bearings, she composes herself, sitting up straight and frowns.

"Can I help you Parkinson?" Hermione says

"Yes, I need to find a book for Theo, preferably from a back shelf" Pansy says closing the door behind her

"Right. Follow me" Hermione sniffs, taking Pansy to the back of the shop

Once they were out of sight, Pansy squeals and hugs Hermione with a squeeze, making her giggle.

"Pans, watch it, we can't risk anyone seeing" Hermione says standing a respectable distance, but couldn't help smiling

"You make us sound like we're having an affair Mina" The dark-haired witch says with a wink

"Oh, Miss Parkinson, I didn't know you felt that way" Hermione plays along, fluttering her eyelashes

"Okay stop, now it's just going to get weird" Pansy laughs

"It's been so long, I've missed you!"Hermione says pretending to search for a book

"We've missed you too, Theo is going crazy because I told him he couldn't come today" Pansy giggles

"Did you come by to just have a sneaky talk or was there something else?" Hermione asks her

"My, Blaise was right, you do go into business straight away" Pansy says shaking her head

"Oh Pans, you know I would love to just hang out and talk, but it's dangerous for us to be so...intimate in public" Hermione says in a hush tone

"Intimate huh?!" Pansy smirks raising an eyebrow

"Okay, I walked into that one. So any news?" Hermione rolls her eyes

"Yes, there's a meeting tomorrow at 8pm at Malfoy's manor, Nott Snr apparently has a plan figured out for Christmas" Pansy replied, while checking her nails

"About time" Hermione huffs

"I know ri-" Pansy was cut off by a voice from the front

"Mione?!" A male voice calls out

"Damn...why is it always a Weasley that interrupts" Hermione whispers loud enough for Pansy to hear, who held in a laugh

"I think this is what you're looking for Parkinson" Hermione says out loud in a bold tone.

Picking up a random book from the shelf, she swings it into Pansy's hands. Just at that moment Ron pokes his head round the corner and frowns at the black-haired woman. Pansy looks at the book then holds it out with her thumb and finger far away from her towards Hermione.

"I rather have one you didn't touch mudblood" Pansy snarls dropping the book at Hermione's feet

"Then you shouldn't be in here you bat!" Ron yells at her

"Please, she should grateful to have my presence around" She sniffs

"May I remind you Parkinson, that you are standing in my shop, I suggest if you are not happy with my services, you are welcome to leave" Hermione snaps

"I will have to, and here I thought you would have something useful, silly me" Pansy says picking up a book and flipping through it

"Get out pug face, you're not wanted in here" Ron says angrily

"Watch your mouth Weasel, you never know who's listening" Pansy growls, snapping the book shut

Hermione didn't miss a beat, she grabs the book out of Pansy's hand.

"There will be no fighting in my shop, please leave" She looks at Pansy, she could almost see the smile in her eyes, even though the girl was frowning.

"Talk about customer service Granger, you should go study that in a book or something" Pansy laughs and strolls out

Sighing out loud as Pansy closes the door behind her, she straightens up and walks over to the cashier point, sliding the book in the draw, she was well aware that Ron had followed her while ranting, and now standing in front of the cashier leaning on the counter.

"Stupid rotten slag, who does she think she is" She hears Ron still ranting

"Let's not let it ruin the day, how are you Ron" She forces a smile on her face

"I'm alright thanks, I just dropped by to see how you were, Ginny said you weren't coming to Christmas dinner again" Ron says sadly

"Sorry Ron, I have plans for Christmas" Hermione says apologetically

"Yeah, she said that too. I was hoping that you would come for the evening, I can save you some food" Ron asks hopefully

"That's sweet of you Ron, but I can't promise anything" Hermione replied with a small smile

"Listen...I was hoping we could talk-" Hermione breathes a sigh of relief as someone walks into the shop.

"Welcome!" She says out loud as Ron turns around to see that there was customers in the shop.

"I..uh...guess I'll talk to you later about it" She hears Ron say, not missing the disappointment in his voice

"Sure Ron, we'll talk later, owl me if it's serious" Hermione hears herself reply before she could think.

Ron leans over the counter and kisses her on the cheek before leaving, Hermione smiles all the while cringing inside thinking about what she had just said. Rubbing her forehead, there was nothing she can do about it now. Pulling out the book from under the counter, she flips through the pages until a note drops out, slipping the piece of parchment into her jeans pocket she heads over to the customers to busy herself.

It was a lot busier this Christmas than last year, just as she was about to close the curtains she notices Ginny and Harry outside waving to her frantically. Smiling back with a wave she mutters to herself '_Great!' _Unlocking the door for the couple, they stroll in hand in hand. Hermione felt a pang of jealousy of loneliness, quickly pushing the emotions aside she hugs the two in front of her.

"Hi guys, what are you two doing here?" She says automatically

"We're here to drag you out to dinner tonight" Harry says with a grin on his face

"I don't know, it's been a busy day" Hermione replies tiredly

"You're not getting out of this one missy, if we can't have you on Christmas, we are going to keep coming in till you come out for a meal with us" Ginny snaps

Hearing Ginny's words, she remembered the meeting the next day, giving them another smile, she holds her hands in the air.

"Okay, okay, I give. Just let me go change and we'll go for dinner" Hermione says with a laugh

"Good, now let's get you dressed" Ginny says pushing her to the stairs

"I can do that myself Gin" Hermione giggles

"Well with my fashion tips, you'll look even better tonight" Ginny says with a hint of excitement

With Ginny pushing Hermione up the stairs and Harry following behind them chuckling. She let the red-head girl drag her into the bedroom and start rummaging in her wardrobe. Hermione was glad that her mother had taught her to pick up after herself, now it was just second nature and she didn't need to worry about having left something out that shouldn't be seen. Ginny starts throwing dresses all over her bed, while Hermione sits there with her legs crossed, her mind starts to wonder. How she missed her parents, her mum telling her off for small things, and her dad for tidying her other things before her mother would find out.

_~Flash back~_

"_Hermione! What did I tell you about leaving your things lying around?" She hears her mum say from the door way, looking over from her desk she sees her mum holding up some magazines, potion vials and parchment._

"_Sorry.." Hermione cringes as she takes the items from her __mums __hands_

"_The __Malfoy's __will be here soon and you're still in your __pyjama's__!" Her mum gasps_

"_It's only the __Malfoy's__, it's not like they've never seen me in my sleeping clothes before" Hermione says_

"_That doesn't mean you __should__ wear your sleeping clothes in the afternoon, get dressed and come down" Her mum snaps closing the door behind her_

_A few seconds later, just as she was standing from her desk, she hears a quiet knock on her door, as it opens her dad pops her head in and tosses some quills and books __onto __her bed, giving her a smile before closing the door behind him. She smiles at the thought of her dad sneaking around the house with her items from her mum._

_Hermione grabs the first set of clothes she sees on her chair and quickly changes into it, checking herself in the mirror, satisfied that she looked presentable, she heads downstairs. She could hear voices as she gets nearer to the bottom, she smiles as she recognises who was talking._

_Turning the corner she sees the __Malfoy's __standing there with her parents chattering._

"_Ah, there you are Hermione" Her dad says as she walks over to them_

"_Good Afternoon Mr and Mrs Malfoy..Draco" She says curtsying to them_

"_Miss Granger" Lucius says nodding his head with a smile_

"_Hermione!" __Narcissa __says smiling holding her arms out for a hug that she returned happily_

"_Granger" Draco smiles taking her hand and kissing it lightly_

"_Come, let's go to the sitting room" She hears her dad say_

_It was then in her third year, that she started seeing Draco in a different light, and her assumptions were that he was also feeling the same. She thanked Merlin silently as their parents wanted to talk about business and asked the pair to take a walk in the garden, leaving them alone._

"_So...Malfoy! How is your summer?" She says with a smirk as they walk side by side_

"_It's not bad, Granger! It could be better" Draco replies with a smirk matching hers_

"_Oh? Care to share?" Hermione asks taking a seat at a bench_

"_Well, you know, I got punched at the end of school term and I'm still pretty wounded by it" Draco says faking pain, making her laugh_

"_Don't be such a wuss" Hermione says giving him a playful shove_

"_That was a hell of a blow though, I gotta give you props" Draco says shoving her back_

"_Well, it was believable" She replied leaning back_

"_That it was" She hear him reply with a sigh_

"_Drake, is something on your mind?" She asks him_

"_No! Nothing!" He replied quickly, too quick, she narrows her eyes at him_

"_It's nothing to worry about, I'll tell you another time" Draco smiles at her_

"_What do you think our parents are talking about?" Hermione changes the subject, knowing well that if Draco wasn't going to say anything, he would not be persuaded._

"_The return of the Dark Lord" He replied casually_

"_What do you mean return? He's still around, sort off" Hermione asks_

"_Physically, returning physically" Draco explained_

"_Really? How do you know this?" She questions him, she watches as he leans back with his hands behind his head._

"_I overheard my parents talking about it, they're getting close to getting his physical form, or as much of it as they can" He says proudly_

"_You mean you eavesdropped" She raises an eyebrow at him_

"_Overheard, eavesdropped...what's the difference" He shrugs at her_

"_I wonder if they'll tell us, I mean to prepare us" She wonders out loud_

"_Probably, __I mean, why wouldn't they?__" __Draco questions_

_"A lot of factors, we're too young, we're still in school, we're -" Hermione counts but her sentence was cut short_

_"Minor details" Draco waves his hands like he's batting a fly away_

_"And still facts" She snaps_

_"Wouldn't you want them to prepare us? To tell us what's happening? Don't you want to find out about your parents?" Draco says all too quickly, catching her off guard_

_"First off, yes, I would like it if they kept us in the loop. Secondly, don't get ahead of yourself, I do want to find out more about my parents, but they said they will tell me when they're ready to, and that has nothing to do with the dark lord returning." She snaps at him_

_"I'm sorry..I didn't mean to blurt that out. I'm just curious" He apologises, noticing that she was still slumped with her arms folded, he could tell she was still upset with him, the silence after his apology was his confirmation._

_"Hey.." Draco gently tugs on Hermione's sleeve, she doesn't move but still frowning_

_"Hey...I'm sorry" Draco tries again, this time leaning his head on her shoulder, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes_

_"That's not going to work..." Hermione says looking down at him, trying hard to hide her smirk_

_"Really? How about this" He says and starts pouting with puppy dog eyes_

_"I hate you" Hermione says pushing him away with a smile_

_"Lies" Draco chuckles leaning back_

_"I missed this" He hears her sigh as her head now leans on his shoulder_

_"Me too, everyone misses you too" He replies putting his arm around her_

_"Send them my love, I was hoping to see them during summer, but I'm starting to think it's not possible, Weasley's have invited me over for a few weeks again, and my parents think it's a good idea to keep tabs __on their end" She says sadly_

_"Well, that makes sense since the dark lord is returning, you have one of the most important jobs, I'm actually jealous" She hears him say_

_"Jealous of me because you have a crush on the Weasleys? Or because you're not in Gryffindor?" She jokes, giving him a poke_

_"Do not joke about that, I feel sick.." Draco says pulling a face making her giggle_

_End of flash back_

"HERMIONE!" Ginny snaps loudly

"Yes?" Hermione replies

Focusing on reality again, Ginny was standing there holding an outfit in each hand in front of her. Ginny looked like she was about to blow, she silently cursed the young woman in front of her as she noticed the mess that Ginny had also caused by going through everything in her wardrobe.

"Are you listening? Where are you? Try these on!" Ginny rambles, shoving the outfits into her arms

Without letting Hermione reply, the young Weasley was already pushing her into the en suite to change. Ginny closes the door behind her loudly, Hermione looks at the outfits that she had chosen, they were a lot fancier than she would have liked. She knew instantly that there was something going on. Groaning to herself she puts on the outfit that showed the least flesh and tried to look as casual as possible, leaving her hair down and light make up. Not forgetting the note that Pansy had left her, she fishes it out of her jeans pocket and puts it in one of the drawers. Happy with her appearance, she enters back into the bedroom where Ginny was wearing the carpet out by pacing back and forth. She watches as the red-haired girl stops in her tracks and looks over, then frowns.

"What?" Hermione asks

"That won't do Mione, come here" Ginny says, pulling her by the arm and sitting her in front of her dresser

"What are you-" Before Hermione could finish, her hair was magically put up in an elegant twist, with a few strands of hair on either side.

"There, that's better" Ginny smiles, dragging her out of the chair and out the bedroom

"Finally! We're going to be late" She hears Harry say, standing by the fireplace

Hermione pulls her arm off Ginny abruptly, stopping them all.

"Mind telling me where we are going and why do I have to dress so formal?" She say folding her arms

"We don't have time for this Mione, we're already late, he'll be waiting" Harry says grabbing her hand

"Who is?" Hermione asks pulling back

"You'll see when we get there" Ginny smiles and throws some floo, as Harry pushes her into the fireplace.

Landing in a one of the upper class restaurants, she looks around and sees everyone else all dressed up. She silently thanked Ginny in her head for picking something relevant. Within seconds, Harry and Ginny arrive behind her, not hiding their grin and excitement as they lead her to their table. She could already make out who 'he' was that was waiting. Just a flash of the red hair gave it away. Getting closer to the table, Ron stands up with a big smile on his face. Pulling a chair out for her, she wondered if he suddenly learned a new set of manners.

"Hermione, you look beautiful" Ron says giving her a kiss on the cheek

"Thank you Ron, you don't look too bad yourself" She replied with a smile, he was wearing a nice tuxedo for once.

She could feel her stomach twirl, not in a good way. Sensing that the evening will not go smoothly at all, she hoped that it would be at least quick.

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**Thank you for being patient, I know that it's starting slow, it'll build up, I promise x**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:- I do not own HP :(**

**Many thanks to my beta =) x**

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The main meal hadn't even come yet and Ginny was already annoying Hermione with her babbling. She was thankful that Ron had barely said two words to her as his awkwardness didn't go a miss considering he had already managed to spill wine, which Hermione gracefully avoided by leaning back on her chair and balancing herself on her foot under the table.

Hermione was phasing in and out of conversation, nodding at the right times and replying with 'oo's and ah's'. , It wasn't even a challenge to her anymore as of course she's had many years of practice doing so. She felt herself stiffen as she sensed Ron sliding his chair slightly closer to her, Harry was all gooey eyed staring at Ginny, while the youngest Weasley was in a world of her own talking about her quidditch team.

Trying really hard not to keep looking at her watch, she starts scanning the restaurant until her eyes fell upon a dark haired young man with a brunette young woman. Hermione and Blaise's eyes lock for a few seconds, before he laughs at something the woman says. Hermione turns back round and nods at Ginny who was still rambling like there's no tomorrow.

"Are you okay Mione?" She hears Ron ask her quietly, almost breathing down her neck

"Yes, yes, I'm fine" She nods and smiles

"Do you want to get out of here?" Ron leans over and whispers

Alarm bells go off in her head, being alone with Ron would definitely not end well. She shakes her head slightly indicating "no" towards him.

"It would be rude to leave the dinner table Ron, we haven't had our main course yet. Didn't you order the Butterbeered Chicken Roast? You wouldn't want to miss that." Such a lame excuse Hermione thought to herself, but watching the cogs in Ron's head turn, she knew it had worked, trust Ron to love his food more than anything else.

"Yeah, you're right, it would be rude just to leave" Ron nods in agreement

All throughout the meal, Hermione could only think of going home so she could read the note from Pansy. Fidgeting her hands underneath the table, she wished she brought it with her so she could sneak a peek. However, she knew that would be careless of her as other eyes could possibly see. Turning her head slightly, she notices that Blaise was still sitting there with the brunette. She could feel his eyes bore into her back every now and then.

"Wow, I don't know what to say...Congratulations!" She heard Ron say

Turning back to the conversation, she notices that Harry and Ginny were both beaming with huge grins, their hands entwined on the table. Hermione wasn't sure what just happened, but with Harry and Ginny looking at her expecting a comment, she smiles as she caught a glimpse of Ginny's left hand, her eyes fall upon an engagement ring on the young woman's hand. Instantly she clasps her hands together pretending to be ecstatic over the news.

" Oh Merlin, congratulations! Harry, you kept that one quiet" Hermione beams at the couple

"Yeah, I wanted it to be a complete surprise" Harry grins rubbing the back of his neck

"We have to celebrate. Let's get champagne" She hears Ginny say

Groaning inside, as she didn't have a valid excuse of not staying, she watches as the red haired woman calls a waiter over.

"Well well, congratulations are in order here" They all hear a male voice speak

"Thanks Zabini, now move along" Harry sneers at him

"Manners Potter. I was merely passing and overheard" Blaise says with a smirk, Hermione recognised the girl that was hanging off his arm, one of the Greengrass sisters, although she never could remember which was which. As if the brunette knew, she looks at Hermione and frowns.

"Take a picture Granger, it lasts longer," The woman snaps

"No thanks, I've had enough just seeing you here" Hermione replies facing forward again

"No one would want a picture of you, you slut," Ron snaps at her, not realising his slightly raised voice.

Other customers at tables were now staring over at the group.

Hermione pulls on Ron's sleeve.

"Quiet Ron, this isn't the place to roar," She whispers sternly

"They started it" He replies with a huff

"I see that you have minors on your table. Best teach them some manners too, but then again, with Potter as the teacher, you might as well give up now" Blaise says looking at Ron

"What do you mean by that?" Ron yells

"Ron, sit down now!" Hermione snaps at him

It was embarrassing enough when they were out in public, but this was a fancy upper class place, she knew that it was full of people who gossip till their mouths were dry.

"I do believe your presence has been acknowledged. I think it's a appropriate time for you to depart?" Hermione says to Blaise, she could see a slight twinkle in his eyes

"Well, if you insist. Potters, Weasel, Granger" He smirks giving them a slight nod before pulling the woman away from the table.

A burst of hushed conversations from other tables began again, no doubt on witnessing the scene. A waiter comes over with a bottle of champagne, not looking at any of them in the eye. Hermione took the opportunity while she could and stood up.

"I'm sorry guys, I think we will have to celebrate another time. I don't think I'm up for it now. Congratulations again guys," She says while putting some cash on the table and exiting before the others could stop her.

"Mione! Wait!" She hears Ron call out to her, just as she arrives at the floo. Spinning back round to see him jogging up to her.

"Yes Ron?" She asks, keeping her patience

"Do you want me to take you home? Maybe we can talk" Ron asks hopefully

"Not tonight Ron, it's late and what just happened has worn me out. I'm just going to head to bed when I get in," Hermione says feigning a tired expression

"Right, sure, I'll check on you tomorrow" Ron nods

She gives him a smile and hugs him before flooing back to her apartment. Once she arrives she immediately closes her floo and tosses her shoes off. Going in her bedroom to change, she feels a tingle as her wards shake slightly, recognising who had just breached her wards she calls from the bedroom.

"I'm just changing"

Coming back into the living room, Blaise was seated on the couch waiting.

"So...how was dinner" He asks innocently

"Well, it started off pretty boring, I don't really remember what was said, but afterwards it got a little exciting, it didn't last of course" Hermione sighs slumping down next to him

"I see, shame the excitement didn't last" He chuckles

"Indeed. Thanks for saving me" She smiles at him

"From the looks you were giving me and with Weasley nearly on top of you. I had no choice but to be the saviour" Blaise smirks

"So who was the brunette?" Hermione smirks back at him

"Just an old friend" He shrugs at her

"Yeah...right...fancy restaurant with a woman, you don't spend that much unless it's worth it. Now tell," She says folding her arms with a grin

"Astoria Greengrass. She's a year below us, her sister Daphne was in our year" He gives in

"Astoria...didn't she have a thing for Draco?" Hermione raises an eyebrow at him

"Yes, yes, like most of the girls. She still does, it wasn't a date" Blaise replies, he knew that Hermione would find out one way or another

"Explain" He hears her say

"Astoria asked me to dinner, she chose that restaurant. I had no idea what was going on, but apparently, her mother had gone to Narcissa to arrange a marriage between her and Draco once he comes out. She said that she could bring his status back up, blah blah blah. Anyways, Narcissa declined the woman and they had an argument of sorts so Astoria was hoping I'd be able to persuade Narcissa."

Blaise said it all too quickly, but Hermione heard every word

"I see" She sniffs

"You have nothing to worry about, Narcissa declined their offer and besides, she probably already has you in mind" He says putting an arm around her

"Hmph" She replied with her arms still folded

"And Drake doesn't want anyone but you anyway" He adds

He could see that she was slowly smiling again

"I know.."He heard her mutter

"Good" Blaise replies stretching his arms out

Hermione suddenly remembered the note from Pansy and jumped up excitedly, without saying a word to Blaise she runs off to get the note. Sliding back into the living room, she plops onto the couch while Blaise gives her a questionable look. As she opens the small piece of parchment, she could make out the handwriting straight away by Pansy.

**_'Nott Snr asks for us to arrive at Nott Manor an hour before the meeting as there are finer details to discuss, I assume it's because we can't show our faces to the other death eaters. Love Pans x'_**

She rereads the note several times before folding it away; Blaise had already read it from behind her shoulder. He already knew of the meeting and was to arrive there the same time as Hermione.

"Want me to come collect you?" He asks her

"Sure, why not" Hermione says with a shrug

"Are you okay?" Blaise raises an eyebrow at her

"Yeah...just a little tired" She admits with a yawn

"Time for me to leave" He smiles standing up

After seeing Blaise off, Hermione decided to head to bed, it had been a long night. She looked over to her cabinet she had hidden her notes and books in, sighing to herself, it will have to wait till the next day. Letting the night take over her, she falls into a slumber dreaming of better days, with her only love.


End file.
